The Plastic Pink Flamingo A Natural History Summary

In a recent essay by Jennifer Price “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History,” her use of irony, juxtaposition, and exemplification reveals her views on American culture in saying that it is too preoccupied with image and money rather than appreciating the beauty of the culture itself.
In paragraph two of her article, Price uses strong juxtaposition. She juxtaposes the desert and a lawn by saying, “... conjured from the desert in 1946… even more strikingly than on a lawn.” This gives the audience a picture of how a pink plastic flamingo stands out more in a secluded desert than on someone's front lawn. She juxtaposes the colors of the flamingos by saying, “The hues were forward-looking rather than old-fashioned…” By saying this Price is giving the reader the idea that the embellishment of the colors are a “much needed” addition because of the opaque strain the Great Depression had on the nation.

By her saying “But no matter,” she uses the parody of those whom she is criticizing. As if saying that hunting flamingoes to extinction is disparate to the plastic flamingos that are not accommodating to the lives of the people. She goes to on to convey the popularity of the plastic flamingo, without going back to the subject of the actual bird as if they are inferior.
Throughout the essay Price utilizes exemplification to justify her point that the American culture is preoccupied with materialistic things and image than more important things such as success and hard work. In the last paragraph Price mentions some aspects of the Mexican, Egyptian and Caribbean culture by proclaiming, “.... In ancient Egypt, [they] symbolized the sun god Ra… major motif in art, dance, and literature.” She’s saying that American culture antithetic to other cultures is basically a joke, that the American people do not have cultural morals and